I would be happy to give information. Because of prior health issues, hormone replacement was out of the question and my doctor was against bio indenticals.

Oh, it kicked my ass—hard. But the other side is awesome!

Why is it "ugh" to be approaching 50? I'm a little over 50, pretty much done with menopause, and the happiest I've ever been.

Those are good. I like Calliope, Ariadne, Violet and Gloria.

Your name is a perfect example of one that is not overly common, is pretty to the ear, and will serve you well as you age! Points to your parents.

My pressure really was zero, but believe what you want. I have many peers who kept their own names, so, no, I did not feel societal pressures.

No one forced me to take my husband's name. I received not one moment of pressure. I did it so when we had kids, we'd all have the same name. That was 30 ago. My daughter made the same choice, decades later.

That was extremely unusual in 1980. Especially in the US. Although maybe you are from elsewhere.

Is getting stuff delivered at work an option? Tons of my fellow workers do that, but not everyone can.

"The Rainmaker" is underrated. Everyone should see that movie. The acting is great—you'll laugh and cry and you'll hate the insurance industry. But everyone should hate the insurance industry.

I could not possibly feel "snarked" or ashamed by my child having attended a major school in-state. You bet she did, and it was very competitive to get into.

You could not be more wrong. She is an executive in charge of a major division.

Shocker: muddle class people go to dermatologists, orthodontists, personal trainers, and plastic surgery (but usually only for deformities). I mean, do you actually think that middle class people don't take care of themselves? That we don't have good teeth?

That's what you took away from that? Other people saw encouragement, which it is what it was meant to be.

double post

Well, we all have different tastes, and that's what makes the world go 'round. After all, many people think Whitney Houston's "I will Always Love You"
Is better than Dolly Parton's—absurd.

Coincidence: My niece went to a state school, became a teacher and has no debt. She's in a very highly rated public school district, yet the fellow teachers with "elite" degrees don't make a dime more than she. Nor do they seem to have more opportunities for advancement.

You definitely have wisdom!

She is! She is a devoted daughter, as well.

My kid employs dozens of people in well paying jobs at a corporation that you would recognize immediately. Do some have fancy connections? Sure. But many more of them went to schools like Michigan State or Wisconsin. She only hires the spoiled ones when forced to, which is less often than you'd think! Most of the…